This Japanese league closer rode in from the bullpen atop a sweet sports car
These days, big league relievers get from the bullpen to the mound using their own two legs. But it wasn't always this way: For decades, MLB teams drove pitchers onto the field in bullpen cars, which ranged from glorified golf carts to literal limousines.
Alas, the bullpen car officially disappeared in 1995, when the Brewers retired their bullpen Harley-Davidson. Luckily for us, though, the tradition lives on across the Pacific Ocean -- where Yokohama DeNa Baystars closer Yasuaki Yamasaki enters the game atop a sports car ... while the crowd absolutely loses its mind:
This is why Japanese baseball is amazing: Yakult Swallows closer Yasuaki Yamazaki comes in from the bullpen on a sports car. pic.twitter.com/Cm19SHZxDa
— Joon Lee (@joonlee) June 26, 2017
Baystars fans even carry on the tradition when their team is on the road:
Now, if we could only get